Mounting base assembly for product cartridges

ABSTRACT

A beverage dispensing machine includes a panel of product cartridges. A pair of cartridge mounting base assemblies are provided each of which holds two cartridges. The mounting base assembly includes a handle unit detachably connected to an agitator handle in the cartridge. The handle unit includes a guide element received in an elongated longitudinally extending slot in the floor of the mounting base assembly. A retaining element is provided on the lower end of the guide element and is of such a size that it will only pass through an enlarged opening in communication with the elongated slot for assembly and disassembly of the mounting base assembly. Two rows of stop openings are provided on opposite sides of the elongated slot to receive the legs of a stop element bridging the slot. The openings in each of the rows are staggered relative to each other whereby either leg of the stop element may be selectively placed in one of two openings to vary the amount of travel of the handle unit towards an open position.

[111 3,744,865 [451 July 10, 1973 1 1 MOUNTING BASE ASSEMBLY FOR [57] ABSTRACT A beverage dispensing machine includes a panel of PRODUCT CARTRIDGES product cartridges. A pair of cartridge mounting base [75] Inventor:

Martelle J. Syverson, Albert Lea, Minn assemblies are provided each of which holds two cartridges. The mounting base assembly includes a handle Asslgnee! Fountain Industries, {\lbert unit detachably connected to an agitator handle in the Lea, Freebom cartridge. The handle unit includes a guide element re- [22] Filed: Man 27 1972 ceived in an elongated longitudinally extending slot in the floor of the mounting base assembly. A retaining 1 PP 238,448 element is provided on the lower end of the guide element and is of such a size that it will only pass through an enlarged opening in communication with the elongated slot for assembly and disassembly of the mountmg base assembly. Two rows of stop openings are provided on opposite sides of the elongated slot to receive the legs of a stop element bridging the slot. The openings in each of the rows are staggered relative to each other whereby either leg of the stop element may be se- [52] US. 312.35, 222/181, 222/310 [51] Int. Cl. A47! 3/026, B67d 5/06 [58] Field of 312/35; 222/181 lectively placed in one of two openings to vary the 222/181 amount of travel of the handle unit towards an open position.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,393,838 7/1968 Syvenson............................ 3,276,637 10/1966 Fender........ 2,162,286 6/1939 Sietert...... 2,623,804 12/1952 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Zarley, McKee & Thomte MOUNTING BASE ASSEMBLY FOR PRODUCT CARTRIDGES The same cartridge is used for different food products having different consistencies and thus adjustments must be made in the length of the pull of the agitator handle to control the amount of food product that is discharged from the cartridge. The cartridge is a throw-away item and accordingly a base assembly is provided that will cooperate with the cartridge agitator handle for operation of same.

The base assembly for product cartridges of this invention allows quick adjustment of as little as a sixteenth of an inch in the agitator handle pull. This is accomplished by the use of a U-shaped clip having its legs received in openings in two rows of openings when the openings are staggered such that with one leg in one opening in one row the other leg may selectively be placed in one of two openings thereby varying the amount of pull for the agitator handle by one-sixteenth of an inch. The openings in one row are labeled by letters while the openings in the other row are labeled with numerals and, accordingly, a cartridge can designate that the stop be set at a particularset of openings indicated by a letter and numeral designation such as G-7. The user of the cartridge utilizing the mounting base of this invention can readily place the cartridge in place on the mounting base with the stop set properly for the correct amount of pull of the agitator handle to dispense the correct amount of food product for each serving. v

The handle unit of the mounting base is guided through its pulling operation by a downwardly extending element received in a longitudinally extending slot in the floor of the base assembly. A retaining element is provided on the lower end of the guide-element and will only pass through the floor at an enlarged opening in communication with the elongated slot. Thus the handle unit will not become accidentally disassembled and will provide for a smooth operation of the agitator handle in the cartridge.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage dispensing machine utilizing the product cartridge mounting base assembly of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the product cartridge mounting base assembly.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the two rows of staggered openings on opposite sides of the longitudinally extending elongated slot in the floor of the base assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a product cartridge positioned on the mounting base assembly.

The mounting base for product cartridges of this invention is referred to in FIG. 2 generally by. the reference numeral 10 and in FIG. 1 two mounting base assemblies 10 are shown in a beverage dispensing machine 12 holding four product cartridges 14. A hot water spigot 16 is provided in the beverage dispensing machine 12.

The mounting base assembly 10 includes a floor wall 18, opposite side walls 20, a rear wall 22 and a center wall 24 separating two product cartridges. The side walls 20 include front oppositely extending wall portions 26 in a plane with oppositely extending wall portions 28 on the center wall 24. The floor 18 includes upwardly extending rearwardly'offset wall portions 30 adjacent the wall portions 26 and 28. The wall portions 30 function as a ledge to support the forward end of the cartridges 14.

A pair of handle units 32 are positioned on the floor 18 on opposite sides of the center wall 24 and each includes a U-shape frame having a rear cross element 34 interconnecting side elements 36. The forward end of the side elements 36 are interconnected by a horizontally extending plate portion 40 having an upstanding pin 42 thereon. The plate portion 40 is integral along its forward edge with a vertical wall portion 44 having a finger engaging portion 46 extending from its upper edge forwardly and downwardly as seen in FIG. 5.

The cross element 34 includes a downwardly extending guide element 48 received in an elongated slot 50 running from front to rear in the floor 18. A retainer element 52 is formed on the lower end of the guide element 48 and is of such a size that it will not pass through the slot but will only pass through an enlarged opening 54 at the forward end of the slot 50 for assembly and disassembly of the handle unit 32 relative to the floor 18. It is thus seen that the smooth positive control is maintained over the handle unit 32 as it is reciprocated on the floor 18. g The length of the pull stroke of the handle unit 32 is controlled by two rows 60 of openings 62 and 64 being provided on opposite sides of the elongated slot 50. The openings in each of the rows are staggered relative thereto such that a U-shaped stop clip element 66 may selectively have its oppositely disposed legs 68 and 70 in one of several openings 62 or 64. The openings 62 are designated by letters while the openings 64 carry numerals and thus it is seen in FIG. 3 by the dash line designation that the leg 68 of the clip 66 is in openings E while the opposite leg 70 may be placed in opening 6 or opening 5. Similarly, with the leg 70 in opening 5 the leg 68 may be placed in either opening D or E and with the leg 70 in opening 6 the leg 68 may be placed in either opening E or F. Each opening will vary the stroke of the handle unit 32 by one-sixteenth of an inch thus giving the operator the ability to dispense a precise amount of product from the cartridge 14.

The cartridge 14 is seen in FIG. 7 to include an agitator handle 74 and a forwardly extending handle lip portion 76 having an opening to receive the pin 42 of the handle unit 32. Theproduct in the cartridge 14 is metered therefrom through an opening 78 in a metering agitator 80.

Vertical movement of the handle unit 32 is limited at its forward end against vertical and lateral movement by notched out portions in the forward wallportions 26 and 28 leaving vertical and horizontal wall edges 82 and 84, respectively, in the wall portion 26 and 86 and 88 in the wall portion 28 engaging the adjacent sides of the side elements 36. The bottom floor 18 engages the lower sides of the handle unit 32.

A downwardly extending stop plate 90 is provided on the lower side of the floor 18 for assisting in the positioning of a cup (not shown) under the cartridges 14.

In operation it is seen that the handle unit 32 is assembled in the floor 18 by the retaining element 52 being initially placed in registering relationship with the enlarged opening 54 such that it may pass below the floor 18 with the guide element 48 in the elongated slot 50. The space between the frontwall portion 30 and the wall portions 26 and 28, as seen in FIG. S,'will allow the cross element 34 on the side elements 36 to pass therethrough when assembling or disassembling the handle unit on the floor 18. The given product cartridge 14 will have an indication of the stroke length required and will be stated in terms of openings in which the stop element 66 should be placed such as 6-8, as

seen in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the handle unit 32 may be I only pulled out until the cross element 34 engages the stop element 66. A different product may require a set ting of the stop element 66 in openings E-5, as seen also in FIG. 3 and thus a longer stroke producing more food product will result. The stop elements 66 are of plastic material and will resiliently yield to maintain a frictional fit with the edges of the openings thereby maintaining them in place for engagement by the cross element 34. The entire mounting base assembly may be madefrom plastic material in any desired color.

I claim:

l. A material dispenser mounting base assembly comprising,

a floor having a slot extending between'the front and rear thereof, an enlarged opening at one end of said slot, and

a moveable handle unit on said floor, a guide element on saidhandle unit positioned in said slot and having a retainer element on the lower end thereof of such a size that it will not pass through said slot but will pass through said enlarged opening.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said enlarged opening is positioned at the front end of said slot.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said guide element has a thickness approximately equal to the width of said slot to limit lateral movement of said handle unit on said floor.

4. The structure of claim 2 wherein said handle unit includes front and rear ends and said guide element extends downwardly from the rear end and a handle portion is provided on the front end.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said floor includes a pair of rows of openings on opposite sides of said slot and parallel thereto, and a stop element having a pair of legs is positioned across said slot with each of its legs in a selected opening in a different row of said pair of rows of openings, and said handle unit having a portion adapted to engage said stop element to limit travel of said handle unit towards an open position.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said stop element is U-shaped.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the openings in one of said rows is staggered relative to the openings in the other row whereby said stop element having one leg in one opening in one row of openings, the other leg may be selectively placed in one of two openings in the other row of openings to vary the amount of travel of said handle unit towards an open position.

8. A material dispensing mounting base assembly, comprising, a floor having a row of openings extending between the front and rear thereof, a moveable handle unit on said floor and said handle unit having front and v rear end portions, said front portion having a handle portion, and a stop element selectively positioned in one of said openings and adapted to engage said rear end portion on said handle unit to limit travel of said handle unit towards an open position.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said handle unit is open between said front and rear end portions and a second row of openings is provided in said floor to provide a pair of parallel rows of openings, said stop element is U-shaPed and each of its legs is positioned in a selected opening in a different row of said pair of rows of openings.

10. The structure of claim .9 wherein the openings in one of said rows is staggered relative to the openings in the other row whereby said stop element having one leg in one opening in one row of openings, the other leg may be selectively placed in one of two openings in the other row of openings to vary the amount of travel of said handle unit towards an open position.

11. The structure of claim 9 wherein said floor includes a slot extending from the front to the rear thereof and includes an enlarged opening at the front end of said slot, a downwardly extending guide element is provided on said rear end portion of said handle unit and is positioned in said slot with a retainer element on the lower end thereof of such a size that it will not pass through said slot but will pass through said enlarged opening. 

1. A material dispenser mounting base assembly comprising, a floor having a slot extending between the front and rear thereof, an enlarged opening at one end of said slot, and a moveable handle unit on said floor, a guide element on said handle unit positioned in said slot and having a retainer element on the lower end thereof of such a size that it will not pass through said slot but will pass through said enlarged opening.
 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said enlarged opening is positioned at the front end of said slot.
 3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said guide element has a thickness approximately equal to the width of said slot to limit lateral movement of said handle unit on said floor.
 4. The structure of claim 2 wherein said handle unit includes front and rear ends and said guide element extends downwardly from the rear end and a handle portion is provided on the front end.
 5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said floor includes a pair of rows of openings on opposite sides of said slot and parallel thereto, and a stop element having a pair of legs is positioned across said slot with each of its legs in a selected opening in a different row of said pair of rows of openings, and said handle unit having a portion adapted to engage said stop element to limit travel of said handle unit towards an open position.
 6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said stop element is U-shaped.
 7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the openings in one of said rows is staggered relative to the openings in the other row whereby said stop element having one leg in one opening in one row of openings, the other leg may be selectively placed in one of two openings in the other row of openings to vary the amount of travel of said handle unit towards an open position.
 8. A material dispensing mounting base assembly, comprising, a floor having a row of openings extending between the front and rear thereof, a moveable handle unit on said floor and said handle unit having front and rear end portions, said front portion having a handle portion, and a stop element selectively positioned in one of said openings and adapted to engage said rear end portion on said handle unit to limit travel of said handle unit towards an open position.
 9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said handle unit is open between said front and rear end portions and a second row of openings is provided in said floor to provide a pair of parallel rows of openings, said stop element is U-shaped and each of its legs is positioned in a selected opening in a different row of said pair of rows of openings.
 10. The structure of claim 9 wherein the openings in one of said rows is staggered relative to the openings in the other row whereby said stop element having one leg in one opening in one row of openings, the other leg may be selectively placed in one of two openings in the other row of openings to vary the amount of travel of said handle unit towards an open position.
 11. The structure of claim 9 wherein said floor includes a slot extending from the front to the rear thereof and includes an enlarged opening at the front end of said slot, a downwardly extending guide element is provided on said rear end portion of said handle unit and is positioned in said slot with a retainer element on the lower end thereof of such a size that it will not pass through said slot but will pass through said enlarged opening. 